Winter the Dolphin: Echolocation Game

This classroom game will get kids moving and communicating like dolphins!

OBJECTIVE
Similar to Four Corners, this game will help build excitement in learning about dolphins prior to the Winter’s Tail Webcast.

MATERIALS

Blindfold or scarf

DIRECTIONS

Explain to students that bottlenose dolphins are very intelligent marine mammals and researchers believe much of the dolphin's brain is used for communication or "echolocation." Using echolocation, or sonar, dolphins send out frequencies by clicking. The clicking sounds bounce off objects and the returning sound waves are picked up by the dolphin's forehead and lower jaw and interpreted as to distance, size and shape of object.

Explain to students that they will be playing a classroom game that will show how echolocation works.

Choose one student to be the “dolphin." Seat that student in the center of the room and blindfold them.

Other students will be the “fish” swimming clockwise around the edge of the classroom. When the teacher says “STOP," all “fish” go to the corner of the room closest to them.

The “dolphin” claps twice to represent sending an echo. “Fish” clap twice to represent echo returning to the “dolphin."

The “dolphin” points to corner of the room where he or she thinks the most fish are. All “fish” in the selected corner are “eaten” by the dolphin and sit near the “dolphin.” Teacher says “swim” and game continues.